A women’s shelter that has been a mainstay of Chicago’s West Englewood neighborhood for decades is now fighting to keep its doors open as the bills continue to pile up while financial support has run dry.

The most pressing of those bills facing Clara’s Place is a whopping $21,000 the shelter’s founder and director Clara Kirk owes Peoples Gas, which last week shut off the shelter’s gas service, leaving them without heat or hot water, DNAinfo Chicago reported Thursday.

Clara’s Place, which houses 19 women and 23 children, is one of two shelters Kirk founded in 1987. As DNAinfo notes, her other shelter — Clara’s House — houses another 38 women and is also in financial trouble, owing Peoples Gas an additional $11,000.

The shelters are completely volunteer-run and are, for many of their residents, a last resort for women struggling to get back on their feet.

The shelter has struggled financially in recent years, facing fines from the city for building code violations and penalties from the IRS for being behind on payroll taxes. But the Chicago Sun-Times notes Kirk’s work at the center has also received many accolades, including being awarded a Jefferson Award for community service in 1996 and being honored at the White House by President Clinton in 1998.